Experts warn Chicagoans to expect unusual numbers of cicadas this spring.
(CHICAGO) The year was 1803. Thomas Jefferson was in the White House, the Louisiana Purchase was ratified, and Ohio became a state. In other news, billions of cicadas dug their way out from their underground slumber across the country. An event that only happens every 221 years.
Fast forward to 2024, and the rare double brood cicada emergence will once again occur this spring.
What is the double brood emergence of 2024?
There are several different types of cicadas. One type emerges every year, and the noise they make is one of the familiar sounds heard during a hot summer. In addition to the annual cicadas, there are broods of 17-year cicadas and 13-year cicadas. These stay underground and emerge at the same time.
Photo bySagar VasnanionUnsplash
Beginning in the spring of 2024, two broods, one that appears every 13 years and one that appears every 17 years, will emerge together. They are known as the Great Southern Brood and the Northern Illinois Brood.